Letter from Nancy Steele at OISE

Having retired from the TDSB as a classroom teacher, I now work at OISE.  I  started my career as a classroom teacher in 1968 and during my career taught in NYC in the South Bronx, in the UK at The American School in London, and in Toronto. From 1986 until I retired in 2004 I taught in alternative senior schools..  I believe it was these alternative schools which provided the best educational environment for students and the best working environment for teachers. There were many reasons that these schools were so powerful.
The school populations were between 60 and 75 students in two grades (7&8). When a school is that small it is easier to create a feeling of community. Everyone is known and becomes part of the family of the school.   The teachers, though committed to following the Ministry Guidelines, were able to do so through the particular lens of each school's philosophy.  The philosophy of each school evolved from the beliefs and interests of the teachers. Parents choose the schools because they shared the philosophy outlined by the teachers and students during student recruitment open houses. The one school was committed to student empowerment and learning through dramatic simulation. When I joined their staff they added to that a commitment to social justice and learning the skills of conflict resolution.
The other school  also began with a social justice  and conflict resolution focus but added a social action component.   Both schools were staffed by teachers who were committed to the school's philosophy and were willing to do the extra work involved in recruiting new students (neither school had automatic feeder schools) and doing many of the administrative tasks.  The teachers were willing to take this on because they were given a certain autonomy.  They, and the students and their parents, shared a sense of ownership of the school which was hugely rewarding.This sense of ownership and commitment to the school community meant that we were all more willing to take risks, to try new ideas.  Alternative schools with well defined philosophies attract teachers who share common beliefs and can support each other in developing programming.  It is team teaching at its best.

I am still in touch with many of the students who went through these schools, often I meet them as they train to be teachers at OISE.  Most report that their alternative school experience was the best and most important educational experience of their lives.  It was there that they felt a valued member of an educational community.

I hope that you succeed in your mission to save the alternative schools of the OCDSB.  Alternative schools are often the rich and fertile environments that can support the growth and testing of new ideas.  They  should be cherished as such and supported in whatever ways they need to do their work.

Good luck,
Nancy

Nancy Steele
Co-coordinator Central Option
Initial Teacher Education
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education